


The Recipe for Destruction

by GokuGirl



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-06-12
Updated: 2000-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-05 17:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4188810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bulma, Pan, and Bra stumble upon an ancient prophecy foretelling Armageddon and Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan come to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Recipe for Destruction

**Author's Note:**

> Since I don't care for GT much, the timeline has be modified to reflect that it never happened. Also, Goku has finished training Ubuu and is at home and Bra is now 1 year older than Pan instead of 2.
> 
> I have no idea how many kaioshins there are total. Since they rule over a group of four galaxies and I have no idea how many galaxies there are in all, it's kind of hard to figure out. If someone would like to correct me, feel free to do so.

**Prologue**

"I think I've found it! Bra, Pan, come here quick!" Bulma shouted as she worked at uncovering an ancient box. She had finally unearthed it when the two little girls showed up.

"Kaasan! Did you really find it?" Bra wiped some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "It's got to be over 100 degrees out here!"

"105.3 to be exact," Bulma muttered, distracted. She rose from her knees and crouched. Pan moved to her left side and peered at the faded parchment paper.

"What does it say?" Pan asked impatiently.

"It's in ancient arabic. I'm going to have to get it translated."

"How long is that going to take?"

"Anywhere between a couple days to a couple of months."

Bra and Pan sighed in unison. "It's too hot here!" Bra complained.

"You two were the ones who volunteered your help. I told you we were going to Africa you know."

"We thought of someplace warm and tropical!" Pan said.

"Yeah with buff bishonens feeding us grapes and fanning us with palm tree leaves..." Bra was startled out of her fantasy by the sound of her mother laughing.

"I'm sorry the Sahara Desert didn't meet up to your expectations." Bulma struggled to calm down. "Bishonens feeding you grapes and fanning you? Where in the world did you come up with that?"

Bra and Pan both blushed. "From one of Videl-san's romance novels." Bra explained. "But we never understood how she could say that Gohan-san was her bishonen."

"I think she said that because he's her husband."

"Bulma-san, do you think of Vegeta-sama that way?" Pan asked curiously.

"Uh well," Bulma cleared her throat. "Let's move on shall we?" She said loudly, clearly steering the subject away from herself.

Pan and Bra exchanged glances. "I'll take that as a hai." Pan whispered.

* * *

**Part One**

"Everything's been going great, Veggie-chan," Bulma said to the video phone in their luxury suite in the Hotel Cairo. She laughed silently as Vegeta tried to mask his worry.

"Bra hasn't gotten sunburned? You know she does easily..."

"Relax Vegetable Head! I've lived with the child for ten years, remember?" Vegeta opened his mouth to protest. "We've taken extra precaution to make sure that doesn't happen. Right Bra-chan?"

"Hai!" The girl called from the main sitting room.

"We'll be a little longer than we thought, seeing as the translation will take another couple of days. Make sure you and Trunks haven't completed destroyed the house when we get home, okay? I rather like it the way it is right now." Bulma briefly bent over and started to rummage through her suitcase. "Can you call Trunks to the phone? I want to speak with him..."

There was some shuffling, Vegeta said something in a muffled voice, then Trunks' face appeared.

"Hi Kaasan! How's it going in Egypt?"

"Did you overhear?" Trunks nodded. "It's been pretty smooth since the girls came along. They've helped me a lot."

"Bra helped you? Come on!"

"I heard that!" Bra called from the other room. Trunks laughed. Bulma finally found what she was looking for and looked up.

"Here's my makeup!"

Trunks sweatdropped and he was sure that his father was doing the same off-screen. "Makeup on an expedition Kaasan? Are you trying to pick up mummies or something?"

"Hey! A woman has to look beautiful no matter where she goes!"

"Then I guess that counts you out, huh?" Vegeta said.

"I love you too Veggie-chan. Ja ne!" Bulma disconnected the call. She gathered her things that she had thrown out in her search back into her luggage and made her way into the next room. "While we wait, how about a little sightseeing and then some shopping girls?"

"Yea!" Bra cheered.

"Shopping?" Pan wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah. You need a change of style..." Bra informed her.

"What's wrong with this?" Pan motioned to her knee length khaki shorts, matching shortsleeved button up khaki shirt, and her white Nikes.

"What isn't? You look like you're going on a safari! The shoes are okay, but the outfit... All you need is one of those hats and you'll look just like someone from National Geographic Explorer!"

"At least I'm not all sunburned!" Bulma took a closer glance at Bra. He shoulders and neck were a slight shade of red since she was wearing a tank top.

"Oh dear. Bra, haven't you been wearing sunscreen?"

"That stuff feels nasty..."

"Your father is going to kill me.... Wait a minute! He's the one who usually lets you get burned! Forget him. Bra, does it hurt yet?"

"Iie. It's fine."

"Good! Let's go to the mall and then stop by the translators to see how things are coming."

***

"You're almost done? That's good. How much longer now?"

"Only a couple of hours Mrs. Briefs," the man looked puzzled. "After a while it seemed almost if it wanted me to translate it. I have the first part of it done. Would you like to see it?"

"Of course!" Professor Jacsen lead them to a room in the back of his shop, where he kept all of his materials. He unrolled the parchment from around its tube gently and spread it out flat. He opened a notebook to the correct page and placed it next to the scroll.

" 'This scroll can predict Armageddon up to 20 years in advace and can also list ways to prevent it, if possible. It posesses the magical ability to alter itself for every incident...' and it goes on and with the explanation!" Bulma looked up. "Is this accurate?"

"I would say it is."

"Bulma-san, what's armiged-whatever?"

"It's armageddon Pan. It means 'the end of everything'. It was supposed to be just the site of the final battle, but the meaning has been changed a little."

"The end of everything...?" Pan asked, he voice small.

"Don't worry about it. I doubt that the scroll is the truth and if it is, it should be a long time from now." Bulma continued to read. "There isn't a time on here or even a solution!"

"That's what I've been meaning to tell you. There is more at the bottom, but so far I haven't been able to decipher it. I was going to try again, but I really don't think I can... I only breifly glanced through the top part of it."

"Wait, there's a reason for that. 'In order to receive the notice of the catastrophe, you must posesses the Glass of All-Seeing'... The Glass of All-Seeing? What in the world is that?"

Professor Jacsen appeared to be deep in thought. "I believe I have read of this before..." He moved over to a shelf and started to scan the books. He pulled a thick one out of its place and opened it to a pre-bookmarked page. "Here we are!"

Bulma took the book from him and began to read. " 'The Glass of All-Seeing is an ancient artifact used to find an unreadable things' true meaning. It was lost around 1350B.C. during the time of the Great Tutankhamen's rein.' So, there is a good chance it is still in Egypt?"

"I believe so. But you may have to find another thing first before you can locate the Glass. The ancient egyptian lorekeepers were pretty crafty and gifted at leading seekers away from treasure."

"Hmm. This might take longer than expected."

"Once you find the Glass, this scroll and many others will be readable."

"Bra, Pan, are you feeling up to the adventure?"

"Hai!" They chorused.

"And if its true about the armageddon thingy," Pan added, "me, Grandpa Goku, Vegeta-sama, and the rest can stop it!"

***

"Kaasan, where are we going again?" Bulma and the two girls were flying in a capsule jet over a fairly large sea of sand.

"Just to Alexandria so I can have a talk with the scientist there about the Glass. It's not that far, only another hour."

"Oh."

They flew in silence for ten more minutes untill the hit a patch of turbulence.

"Hold on! This may get rough!"

The capsule jet was tossed to and fro as Bulma vainly tried to regain control.  _Turbulence is never this rough. I don't think this was a coincidence..._

Her suspicion was confirmed when a portal opened up beneath them. Swirling masses of energy threatened to destroy them. Bulma fought valiantly to try and steer the jet away from it, but all of her efforts were in vain. Crying out in pain as she hit her head on the console, her world faded into blackness. Her last concious thought was of wondering if Pan and Bra were okay.

* * *

**Part Two**

Bulma awoke in intense pain. Moaning she rose onto her elbows, trying to make sense of the spinning world about her.

"Can you get the number of the truck that ran me over?" She asked weakly. At first she didn't know what had happened to her, but it all came back in a rush.

Suddenly she sat completely up, wincing as a fresh wave of pain hit her.

"Pan? Bra? Are you alright?" She spotted them a few feet away, that was around the time that she noticed that they weren't in the desert anymore.

"Hai Kaasan," Bra responded as she stood and helped Pan to her feet. "Just a few cuts and bruises. Where are we anyway? And what happened?"

"I think that someone doesn't want us to make sense of the scroll." Bulma gazed around at the thick jungle. "They must have deposited us someone far off our course. We're either still in Africa, which I highly doubt, or we're in South America."

Bra walked over to the still smoking wreckage of the jet and rummaged around for her backpack. "I've got some capsule full of food. That should last us until we can get help."

"Bra honey," Bulma said, "just how much did you pack?"

Bra popped open some and checked. Then she sighed. "I don't think that there's enough here for all three of us. If Pan and I were normal humans there might be..."

"We're just going to have to ration then." Bulma stood. "There's no use in thinking about this any longer. We have enough rations for a couple of days only so in the mean time, let's find civilization."

Pan and Bra both nodded. So they gathered up all the useful things that they saw and started on their way.

***

Vegeta stopped in mid-attack and a strange look came upon his face.

"Vegeta, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Goku asked curiously.

Vegeta thought for a little longer then shook his head. "It's nothing Kakarott. For a moment I thought..." he trailed off. "It's nothing." He shook his head, dismissing the thought for later when he had time to ponder about it. _Woman, you and Bra better be alright._

He and Goku continued their sparring match until Gohan showed up a few minutes later.

"Tousan!"

"Hey Gohan! Was their something you wanted?"

Gohan forced himself to calm down then he responded. "I kind of got a weird feeling earlier and I was just checking to see if I was the only one."

"You must have been. I didn't feel a thing. How about you Vegeta?" Vegeta didn't answer. "Vegeta?"

"It wasn't just you. Something's not right here... Kakarott! Can you get a lock on their ki?"

"Who? Bulma, Pan, and Bra's? I'll try." Goku began to concentrate, then he frowned. "For some reason, I can't pick them up anywhere! It's not right..."

"I thought as much. We have to get to them somehow! Something bad is going to happen, I'm sure of it."

All three men nodded and proceeded to fly to the Capsule Corp.

***

"Kaasan, how much longer?" Bra moaned as she trudged through the dense undergrowth.

Bulma didn't answer. It was apparent that she was deep in thought. "You know what? I'm sure your father would have noticed something by now..."

"Why would he?" Pan asked, confused.

"It the saiyan bond thing. He should have come by now. It must be something wrong...."  _First he would have went to Goku, then Son-kun would have teleported them both here. I think Gohan would be worried as well by now..._  "I've got it!" Bulma suddenly shouted.

Both Pan and Bra jumped. "Nani? You have what?" Pan asked.

"I know why no one has come yet. There's a ki field around this place. If my hunch is correct, it should only stop ki and nothing else." Bulma whipped out a satellite phone.

"Kaasan! How long were you going to make us walk?!"

"Gomen! I totally forgot about it!" She whipped it out and started to dial...

***

_Ring, ring! Ring, ring!_

"Vegeta! The phone's ringing!" Gohan yelled.

"I'm busy brat! Get it yourself!"

_Ring, ring! Ring, ring!_

"Fine," Gohan sighed. He picked it up as he walked by.

"Moshi moshi?"

"WHAT IN  _HELL_  TOOK YOU SO LONG TO ANSWER! Hello? Gohan?" Bulma calmed down once she realized it wasn't Vegeta.

"Bulma-san? Where on Chikyuu are you?!"

"I really don't know..."

Goku and Vegeta came rushing in once they has noticed who Gohan was speaking with.

Bulma explained the story and Gohan's expression grew more and more troubled. "But Pan and Bra are okay, aren't they?"

"Hai they are." Then static started to cloud the connection. Bulma's voice faded in and out and Gohan only caught bits and pieces. "Lab... trace call... hurry!"

Gohan ran to her lab with the portable phone and picked up a tracking device. Turning it on, he turned to his father and Vegeta. "I'm going to try and track down the signal." He tuned the device and concentrated at locating them. "Bulma-san I think I've found you... Bulma-san!" Gohan sighed and pushed  _end call_  on the phone.

"What's wrong? What happened?!" Vegeta asked, nearly hysterical.

"The line went dead."

***

"DAMMIT!" Bulma shouted curse frightened the birds from their perches. "Stupid thing!" She said only a little quieter.

"Kaasan," Bra asked shakily. "It's not that..." Pan turned around and saw the thing Bra was staring at.

"What do you--" Bulma cut herself off as she looked up and gasped.

The woman contained in a shadow realm smirked evily as she raised hands glowing with power.

* _You will not suceed in your quest, I cannot have that._ * She spoke in their minds, her words twisting themselves like snakes.  _*Such a pity that you have to die, but there is no other way.*_

"Wha-what do you mean?" Bulma asked nervously. "What did we do to you?"

_*Do you truly not know Earth Child? I will tell you then. The scroll that you were working on translating is the truth and I cannot let you find the Glass. My minions were careless the first time, allowing you to even lay your eyes upon that scroll, but never again. Those failures have been disposed of, believe me. I have my ways...*_

"Look lady, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just kidnap us and toss us where ever you want!" Bra shouted at her, furiously.

"Yeah!" Pan echoed.

* _Silence!*_ the figure roared, making their heads explode in momentary pain.  _*I do not think you know who I am to be so defiant like this. I am Queen Nefertine of the Shadow World and I get whatever I may desire. What I have my sights set on this time around is not you, it is your reality...*_

"Our reality? What are you talking about?!" Bulma asked.

_*Armageddon must become truth. I will build an empire so vast out of the ashes that none will hope to rival it! Universal power is within my grasp and with the power comes the knowledge. The Knowledge of the Ages.*_

A bright light enveloped them. It wasn't a warm yellow glow at all. It was harsh, white, cold and it lifted them from their places on the ground and took them closer to the Queen.

_*Now little beings, you shall come with me. I have uses for all three of you.*_

And with that said, Queen Nefertine took them from their universe on to the next.

***

"I think I have it!" Gohan said triumphantly. "They're somewhere in the Amazon... NANI?!"

"What? What happened?" Goku and Vegeta were frantic.

"I don't believe this..." Gohan moaned, readjusting the instruments trying to recover the lost blip on the screen. "It just disappeared! I can't recover it at all!"

"This isn't good." Goku muttered.

"What do you think Kakarott?!" Vegeta shrieked. "It's supposed to be the opposite?!"

"Vegeta calm down! We won't get anywhere if we don't think rationally." Goku said, now concentrating again.

"An intelligent thought from Kakarott, I thought I'd never see the day..."

"Now is definitely  _not_  the time for this! My daughter is out there!"

"We have to call the council," Goku said, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Nani?" Gohan asked.

"No time. Hold on to me." The other two did so as Goku teleported. The reappeared on King Kais planet.

"Kaiosama, I think we may have a problem."

* * *

**Part Three**

"Where are we now?" Pan asked, looking around.

"I'd say we were in a cell of some sort." Bulma sat up and leaned against a cool metal wall. She sighed. "At least this time they spared us the pain, but our stuff is gone. We need to look for a way out..."

"But while you were unconcious, Pan and I already looked for one. We didn't see any."

"We need to try again! We can't just--" She was interrupted by a voice that was pleasantly nice sounding.

_*A way to get out is what you need_  
But a few warnings you should heed.  
The Queen has guards along the way,  
To make sure here is where you stay.*

"Who or  _what_  are you?" Bulma asked.

A vaugely human shape began to materialize out of thin air not ten feet away from them. The figure was clothed all in black so that its features were indistinguishable. But one thing was certain, it was male.

"Does everyone here speak the way you do here?" Bra asked. "In the mind I mean."

The figure nodded.

"Can you tell us your name and why you're helping us?" Pan asked.

Another nod. Then he spoke.

_*I'm defying the Queen for making me this way_  
She hoped that this is the way I will stay  
I am just called the Guide you see  
My purpose is just to help you be free.*

"So Guide, how are we supposed to escape her? She doesn't look like a person to be taken lightly." Bulma replied.

_*That I really cannot say_  
The curse, it causes me to delay.  
But if you look inside your heart,  
She will never tear you three apart.*

"She put a curse on you? How awful!" Bra exclaimed.

"So you can't directly help us," A shake of his head was the reply. "But you can drop us hints." This time there was a positive response. "Well, that's better than nothing."

The Guide appeared to listen so something then he glanced at them, visibly startled.

_*The Queen! She notices I am gone_  
So I will have to say so long  
I will return without a doubt  
So remember this: look within, not without.*

"Look within, not without. What did he mean by that?" Bulma wondered outloud as the Guide left.

Then there was a clank at the cell door that they all could swear wasn't there before. The tell-tale sound of a key turning in a lock all put them on alert.

"Uh oh. I think we may have company..." Bra said quietly.

***

"So that is why there needs to be a Meeting. It's just a feeling I have that something really bad is going to happen." Goku explained.

"I can see what I can do, but the Kaioshins are generally very busy." Goku nodded and Kaiosama focused his antennae. A few minutes later he turned back to them.

"They said they would come as soon as possible to hear the problem."

30 seconds later six kaioshins appeared.

"What is it Kaiosama? You know that we're busy keeping order!" One grumbled.

"Now, now," The small Kaioshin said as he appeared with his aide, Kibit. "I'm sure he has a good reason! And Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta are here as well!"

"Yes I do. Go on Goku, explain yourself."

"I may have no reason to worry, but it is kind of suspicious. Both Gohan and Vegeta got weird feelings after Bulma, Bra, and Pan had left on some kind of hunt I kind of got a bad feeling too. I couldn't find them by sensing their ki and Bulma called the Capsule Corp. just an hour and a half ago and when Gohan went to track down their signal, it just vanished! We would really appreciate it if you would check into this for us."

The Kaioshins conversed among themselves.

"You called us here for  _that_?" The same one as before complained. "It's probably nothing. Now, I have to get back to work. Good day." He and most of the others teleported away.

Only Kibit and the purple Kaioshin remained.

"I also think that this is suspicious. I'd love to help you in any way that I can." he replied.

"What about the others?"

Kaiosama made a snorted dismissive sound. "Forget them. They're always like that around mortals."

Kaioshin nodded, "It's true. They're very distrustful of your kind. Now, let us see what is happening." Kaioshin concentrated for a moment, reaching with his mind to the outer reached of space. His eyes widened and a thoughtful look came over his face.

"Oh dear."

"Nani?" The three fighters asked in unison.

"I thought we had sealed her in the Realm..." he said softly, half to himself.

"What on Chikyuu are you talking about?" Vegeta shouted.

"SHHH!" Kaiosama hushed him.

"It's the Queen. She has taken your friends to her Shadow Realm. This is bad, very bad!"

"What does she intend to do with them?" Gohan asked.

"Convert their life energy into a useable resource. In her Realm, persons of normal stature and power here have it magnified there. Thus, she will take it and use the energy to..." he trailed off.

"It's that bad, huh?" Goku asked.

"I'm afraid so. She will use it to cause Armageddon and destroy the world."

***

_*The Queen requests an audience with you.*_

"By 'request' you mean that we don't have a choice, right?" Pan asked.

The guard nodded.

Bra shrugged. "Then take us to her."

The guard led the out of the cell, where another guard fell into step behind them. As they walked to the royal audience hall, Bulma and the girls looked around at their surroundings, taking in possible escape routes for later on. Beings of all different races, colors, shapes, and gender littered the halls, going on their daily activities. Some stopped to gaze at the outsiders but most didn't, used to seeing this type of thing.

_*We have arrived. You must remove your shoes and walk down the carpeted pathway. Only the Chosen Ones and guests may proceed from here, so we cannot show you the way. Escape is not possible for the Queen has eyes everywhere.*_  Bowing stiffly, their job now complete, the two guards marched off.

"Well, should we do it?" Pan asked.

"We're going to have to. We don't know the area around here and besides, there are too many combative and strong looking aliens lurking about!" Pan and Bra nodded in agreement. Removing their shoes, they began to make their way down the velvet trail.

***

"Where did Bulma say she was headed?" Kibit asked.

"Well, she went to somplace called Igypt..." Vegeta started.

"Iie!" Gohan interrupted impatiently. "It was  _Egypt._  She went to  _Egypt_ to find this scroll. I have no idea what was on it, but I have no doubt that was a clue."

"So to Egypt we go!" Kaioshin said cheerfully and nodded to Kibit. "What city?"

"I think we should try the biggest, the capital."

"Alright. Cairo here we come!" A bright light encircled the group and Kibit teleported them to the desert.

"Good bye everyone and good luck," Kaiosama said to the empty space.

***

"How much-- Nevermind." Bra's question was answered as they finally spotted a huge, ornate woden door complete with two, larger than normal, guards on either side of it.

When they were within the two aliens' sight, the one on the right turned 90º to the right and the one on the right mirrored his action. They three females approached the door and the guards, the Chosen Ones, bowed deeply. After they stood straight again, one opened the door while the other went in ahead of them.

_*Hear ye, hear ye! The three prisoners have now arrived.*_ he heralded.

Bulma and the girls entered.

The Queen was not alone.

The slender, pale, exotic human-looking woman was seated on a marble and red velvet throne, flanked by four others who all looked to be human.

_*Approach mortals,*_  she spoke. The other four people that were there, two on each side of Nefertine, looked down at them in contempt.  _*You must be prepared before I can absorb your life energy. There--*_

"What the  _hell_  are you talking about?" Bulma yelled furiously. "Steal our 'life energy'?"

_*Such vulgarity!*_  Nefertine mildly scolded.  _*But I don't expect better from humans.*_ She snorted derisively and the others beside her nodded in agreement.  _*My council and I have all agreed that during the purification rituals, you will be seperated. Guards!*_

"Three burly men came through the main door and each grabbed a female.

"Let go of me if you know what's good for you!" Pan pratically growled, struggling.

_*What's the little girl gonna do, huh?*_ The guard sneered.

"This!" Pan broke free of his grip, kicked him in the ankle, and while he was hopping around, she punched him in the groin.

_*You little brat!*_  he hissed, doubling over in pain.

"Bra! Bulma! Get away!" she cried.

Bra bit her guards' hand and ran from him. When she was out of the way, Pan threw a weak ki blast at him that left him unconcious.

"It's your turn now Kaasan!" Bra shouted.

Bulma was only held captive by one lone wrist, so it was pretty simple to outmaneuver him. She stomped on one foot, hard, and when he reached down to grab it by reflex, she use her elbow to smash him in the face, breaking his nose on impact.

Then, without looking back, Bulma, Pan, and Bra ran for their lives.

_*After them!*_  Nefertine raged.  _*Don't let them get away!*_  Standing and shaking with barely supressed anger, she created a portal and proceeded to the Place of Power.

* * *

**Part Four**

"Professor Jacsen, the last time that you've seen them was before they left for Alexandria after something called the Glass of All-Seeing?" Gohan asked to make sure he had heard the story correct.

"Yes. It is supposed to be able to make sense of everything. You will be able to read its true meaning. The scroll she was going to use it for was amazing in itself. It was supposed to prophecize Armageddon. It will also list ways to stop it from happening. If possible."

All three saiyans' eyes lit up at that word.

"Armageddon?" They asked in unison.

"We need that Glass and we need it now!" Vegeta shouted. "That scroll is real!"

"Really?!" The Professor's eyes widened in disbelief. Then he shook his head sadly. "You'll have to go to Alexandria then, but after that I have no idea where it could be."

The three men nodded and took off. A couple of seconds later Goku came back into the room.

"We forgot this!" he picked up the scroll case and hurried to catch up to the others.

***

"Oh my Kami! I don't think we're going to make it!" Bulma gasped as she pushed herself to catch up to the girls. Having saiyan blood really helped them out in the speed and stamina department.

"Think positive! We  _are!_ " They all willed themselves to go a little bit faster and longer as the ran down the seemingly endless hallway. They took a hard right and finally found a corridor that was deserted.

"Aim for that door at the end of the hall!"

Then the Guide appeared.

_*Come Fated Ones, this is the way,_  
If you wish to survive the day.  
You have now called down the Queens' wrath,  
But this is the correct and true path.*

He motioned to a door on his left.

The three exchanged glances that plainly read.  _We don't have a choice, now do we?_

Pan got to it first and yanked open the door, rushing inside. Bulma and Bra followed. Bulma firmly closed and locked the door behind as they all leaned against it, panting.

Then Bra glanced around at the room they were in.

"Our stuff!" She shouted happily as she ran over to a cold looking metal table.

"You helped us, now what do we do?" Pan asked the Guide who had followed them in.

_*The way to win is within your grasp,_  
All of this evil will soon come to pass.  
The Place of Power is where the Queen went,  
The best route to go would be through the air vent.*

"I've learned to trust you will my life. You better not be leading us astray." Bulma told him softly. "Girls, help me move the table to the air duct."

***

"So now we have to find the abandoned temple." Gohan said wearily. "At least it's not a pyramid. Those things have traps to keep out grave robbers."

"Actually, we've found the temple. Now lets go inside and search for that Glass. We don't have much time!" Goku said going through the main doors.

"TOUSAN! Don't go in the common way!" Gohan ran after him, attempting to stop him.

"Baka!" Vegeta snorted and took off after them.

Goku stopped just as a portcullis was going to come down and impale him. He gulped and stepped back a few paces.

"Wow!" he breathed. "It's like the Indiana Jones movies!"

"Yeah and this is a regular Temple of Doom." Gohan muttered.

"Now someone has to go and make an alternate way!" Vegeta smirked as he created a large hole in the wall. "Let's go!"

***

Bra handed the backpacks to her mother who was waiting in vent. Pan lifted her and levitated up after her. Then Bulma turned and actually got a good look at the place.

It was literally a maze.

"Oh boy..."

"We're gonna have to split up. Each of us can take a branch." Pan and Bulma nodded and took off crawling, pulling their packs along beside them.

Pan reached the end of hers first and peered down through a grating. She was over the throne room.

_Well, it's not this one._  She tried to turn and found that she couldn't.  _Oh goody!_  she said to herself sarcastically.  _I'm going to have to go out backward._

Then Bra shouted.

"Hey! It's over here!"

They cheered.

"But the ground is at least twenty feet away."

"Oh. And I can't get in front of you to lower you two down either." Pan frowned.

"If I go up Kaasans way, you can get in front." Bra replied. Pan made a confirmational sound, but then she continued. "The Queen is down there."

"That's not a problem. We can kick her butt before she knows what hit her!"

"That's not gonna work."

"And why not?"

"She knows where we are as well."

***

They had traveled with not too many problems. In fact, Gohan thought it was highly irregular. The Glass was in sight, sitting on a pedistal upon a pillow of silk. Gohan smiled relieved, when the realization hit him. Unfortunately, Goku had already touched it.

"Tousan, NO!"

Too late.

When Son Goku's hands had come in contact with that Glass. Several things happened.

First a brilliant smile stretched across the saiyans face as he held it up in victory.

Second there was a bright blinding light.

Third something came from the hole the searing light had created.

And it did  _not_ look pleased.

In fact, it was a sort of demon creature. It was black with bat-like wings and two legs with feet that ended in extremely wicked claws. It raised its arms high and glared down at the trio.

"That relic had a Guardian. This, I presume, is he." Gohan said nervously, if somewhat panicky.

Goku turned around and backed up, clutching the Glass to his chest possessively.

"Now look Mr. Demon sir, we really need this to save the world so can you please let us have it? I swear that we'll bring it back when we're done." Goku said, trying to placate the monsters rage.

_"It is not my place to make bargains with mere mortals! You have dared to seek the Glass so therefore you must be brave enough to fight me. If you win, the relic is yours, but if you should loose..."_  he paused for dramatic effect,  _"your souls are mine to control at will for all eternity!"_

"Do we have a choice?" Goku tried again.

Vegeta, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly snapped. "BAKA, WHAT DO YOU THINK?! We don't have all the time in the world and Bulma and Bra are out there!"

"Pan too!"

"Because of that, we will accept." Goku said.

_"Good! It wasn't like you had much of a choice anyway..."_ Energy was summoned and a Gate was opened.  _"The thing is though, you will do it in my dimension!"_  The demon cackled evily, showing his fangs.

"That's not fair!" Gohan cried as he tried to stop himself from being sucked into the darkness. "You know that place, we don't!"

_"Life isn't fair!"_

Then, with a sort of light show, they were pulled in with just a wave of a clawed hand. The demon following and the Gate closing firmly after them.

***

"What are we going to do?" Bulma moaned.

"I think you should brace yourself..." Bra began.

"Why? What is she going to do?" Then she vanished along with Bra and Pan.

"That," Bra sighed as she hit the floor. "I saw her gather the energy and suspected this."

_*Well, well, look at what we have here..."_  Nefertine stood from her seat and began to circle them.  _*You_ _ **will not**_ _be trying that again, I assure you.*_

"What makes you an expert on that?" Pan asked haughtily.

_*Just try to move, you'll find that you're firmly trapped in place.*_

Queen Nefertine was telling the truth. They could move no part of their body, save their mouths.

Then Nefertine returned to her seat with purpose.

The three new exactly what  _kind_  of purpose.

_*Since you like to be difficult, there will be a mass purification right here and now. And as an added bonus, you will see how your friends like it when I suck them dry of their energy. This quick and painless procedure will take another route for the punishment of your defiance. You will soon learn why it is wise to fear the name Nefertine.*_  she tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder and began to laugh. It was not a pleasant sound.

" 'Right path' my ass," Bulma muttered angrily. "That Guide person was leading us to a trap right along."

Nefertine jerked her head up from where she was deep in thought.  _*Guide? You've spoken to the Guide? ANSWER ME!*_  her voice boomed in their heads.

After a moments hesitation, Bra spoke up. "Yes. What does it matter to you?"

_*That little.. traitor! When I find him....*_  She smiled suddenly.  _*Yes.. when I find him...*_  Bending over the scrying pool she was sitting next to, she conjured up his image and brought him to the room.

The Guide arrived and blinked in confusion. His expression hardened when he saw who had brought him there. Then, speaking only to the three prisoners in the center of the room, he began another rhyme.

_*I have not betrayed your trust,_  
For this confrontation is a must.  
For rescuers are coming here,  
We have to delay this as much as we fear.

_Even though they have the scroll,_  
You're the ones that the legend foretold.  
They cannot fight the battle this time,  
And so ends my helpful rhymes.*

"They're coming to help us?" Pan asked. "And you can't help us anymore?"

The Guide shook his head and he seemed to silently say 'sorry'.

"I understand. We have to do this ourselves."

He nodded his head and opened his mouth again.

_*When they find it, I will leave_  
To get the relic that you are to receive.  
It's just a tool, so do your best!  
It's coming now, the ultimate test.*

"Thank you for everything," Bra chimed in.

He nodded again and began to wait.

Then Nefertine began to summon her power.

* * *

**Part Five**

(The final part! I'd like to thank you for sticking with me so far. It's really appreciated (and so are comments...).)

_"I may have forgotten to tell you, but your powers are useless here."_ the demon smirked.

"See, now you are cheating!" Vegeta yelled furiously at him.

_"You never asked."_

The darkness pressed in all around them, nearly smothering. Gohan started to think and he hoped, no  _prayed_ , that everything would turn out okay.

Gohan's eyes grew large as he saw a shimmering, transparent being walk towards them. Whereever they stepped the blackness parted, almost like it was a curtain.

It was the figure of a little girl. She was dressed in a loose, flowing gown as white as new fallen snow and her pale blond hair was done up in curls. She had an aura of sadness around her. It was almost as if her heart was breaking.

She walked right up to Gohan and spoke to him. The others, even the demon, looked on in curiosity.

"I need your help," she said simply.

Gohan kneeled down to her level and looked her straight into her eyes. The ocean blue orbs held him, transfixed, as a calmness came over him. He sensed the knowledge of eons of time, power and wisdom beyond imagination.

"I am the Spirit of the Universe, my essence flows to every being, every celestial object. I am the Alpha and the Omega, I haven't a beginning or an end, but I flow around everything. I can give you, Gohan, your father, and your friend the power needed to defeat this being. The Queen, however, will be left up to those that you love. Do you accept my help?"

"How can we not?" Gohan asked softly. "Do what you must." Then he stood and stepped back, somehow knowing that this was the right thing to do, and looked to her for guidance.

The little girl created a light. A softly lit glow that pulsated gently. Through the light, you could see ghostly traces of her real form. Neither male nor female, human nor alien, young nor old; but the most beautiful being in existence and will continue to be so for all eternity.

Nodding to each saiyan in turn, she transported them to the High Dimension and held the demon in stasis. It was only a matter of time before he had broken free.

"Son Gohan," she said in her musical voice as she approached him, "you have a heart of pure gold. You have earned the respect of millions, even though most do not know it. I now make you a Knight of the Spirit Realm. Please kneel."

Gohan did as she said and a heavenly power washed over him, clearing his mind and cleansing his soul. When she had completed her task, he stood. Filled with a renewed purpose. Clad in not armor but a uniform of soft green silk with white trimming-- the cape, the pants, and the jacket -- , she handed him a beautiful sword, hilt first, and smiled.

He returned it and stepped back.

Moving down the line, she stopped at Goku.

"Son Goku, your heart is like a crystal, clear but extremely valuable. You have done well at being protector so I dub you also a Knight of the Spirit Realm." She repeated the earlier process but he recieved a wooden staff, carved with runes of protection and blessing along with a uniform of red silk with white trim.

Instead of his normal bright grin, he gave one of a lesser degree. More appropriet of this moment.

She moved to the last person.

"Vegeta, crowned Prince of Vegeta-sei, you have come a long way, but you are not at the end of your internal struggle just yet. You have conflicting emotions in your heart concerning what you were taught and what you truly believe. Follow your heart, not your mind, and you will find that life would be much, much easier." She requested that he kneel. "Vegeta, I now dub you a Knight of the Spirit Realm as well." His clothes were changed into blue silk and she handed him a battle axe, the haft covered in runes of happiness and love.

"I thank you," he said softly feeling no traces of his usual anger and frustration at himself. His worry for his wife and his daughter remained however.

"You should go. I will return you to the scene of the battle. Please help the Fated Ones and stopping the peril that is to befall you."

"We'll try our best," Goku said as she sent them back just as the demon came out of the stasis.

_"That meddlesome spirit! No matter, you will not defeat me!"_

"We won't have to," Gohan said softly. Pointing the tip of his weapon at the demon he then said words of binding that came to him from deep inside his heart.

_"From darkness to light, I bind you to thee,"_ he began.

Goku instinctly knew to pick up where he had left off. Moving to the creatures left side and pointing his staff, he began his part.

_"From this dimension to the next, I bind you to thee,"_  he continued.

Vegeta took his position on the right and raised his axe.

_"From life to death, I bind you to thee."_

Voices raising with each word, the three knights said the final chant in unison.

_"To save the life of the other planes,_  
To send you back from whence you came.  
To purge evil so that we can be free,  
To save our souls I BIND YOU TO THEE!"

The demon growled fiercely as beams of light hit him from their weapons. He tried to break free but was trapped forever in their power. They banished him to eternal darkness, where things better off left undescribed tortured his soul. He can never go free unless there is unanimous voting on the matter.

With that done, each lowered his weapon into a holder on his back and strode to the now open doorway with a purpose.

***

(Small note: To ge the full effect the final battle you should keep the song Premonition from Final Fantasy VIII in mind. It's an excellent battle song. If you don't remember it by name or you have no idea what I'm talking about, [click here](http://members.xoom.com/GokuGirl1/premonition.mid) to download the midi. It takes less than a minute on a 28.8 modem. Or you can just open it from the location and save the disk space.)

The Guide looked up with a face that said 'It is time'. Disappearing quickly and returning just as fast he went over to Bulma and put down the scroll in front of her, moving the rectangular glass over the sparse words. He could not read this, it was not his place to.

During this, the Queen was oblivious, trying to access higher power.

Bulma read feverently, trying to find the answer. Her eyes lit up as she spotted it at last and also felt a power awaken in herself. Seconds stretched on four hours as she quietly infomed the other two.

Power forming within her soul, she broke free from the evil bonds as did Bra and Pan. In unspoken agreement, they moved toward the concentrating menace.

***

"It is time," Vegeta said suddenly.

Goku and Gohan nodded and they all teleported themselves to the Shadow Realm.

Appearing in the Place of Power. They saw Bra, Pan, and Bulma descending on the Queen. Nodding to themselves they waited.

It was not long.

As they approached her, Bulma realized that there was a large crystal in the center of the room giving off a weird blue glow.

"That's her power! You have to destroy that while I keep her busy!" Bulma said to them urgently.

"Are you sure? Are you going to be all right?" Bra asked concerned.

"Hai. GO!"

The two girls turned and made their way over to it, spotting their parents in the process.

Pan almost ran to her father but Bra stopped her, whispering that they had an important job to do.

The Queen jerked and opened her eyes just as Bulma lunged for her. Jumping up and out of the way, she floated high in the air, preparing to attack.

_*You will never deafeat me! I_ _**will** _ _suceed!*_

She raised her right hand and threw off a wave of dark energy.

Bulma was momentarily stunned, not used to battles of this magnetude, but she soon returned fire. Then she heard it, a voice.

_*My children. My dear, dear children.*_  She sighed. Bulma knew instantly that the musical sound was the symbol of all that was good.  _*You should never have to go through anything like this like you have, but I am proud of you. You_ _ **must**_ _stop her! I cannot. Violence isn't a part of me. I will show you what will become reality if she suceeds.*_

Then everyone good that was present was briefly horrified by the scenes. Whole worlds destroyed, children crying,  _begging_ , only to die of disease and poverty. Citizens made into slaves, beaten, abused, and broken until they could no longer go on. Left to die by the hands of her minions, forgotten by time. All to further  _her_  empire. The vision only lasted for less than 10 seconds, but to them, it was a lifetime.

While Bulma was distracted, Nefertine summoned leagues of minions to aid her in the struggle. This was why Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta was here. They were to take care of them.

Bulma attacked with rage as what she saw sunk in. It was simply not an option that they fail. An infinite amount of people were counting on them whether they knew it or not.

Bra and Pan reached the crystal, quickly disposing of any shadow minion careless enough to block their path, and joined hands over the source of her power. Almost instantly, they began to glow. The crystal's light becoming brighter and brighter until the light blinded everything around. All anyone could see was a white emptyness. Nefertine's screams of rage grew fainter with each passing second and they saw the spirits of many people. One of them approached them and spoke.

_"Thank you so much for freeing us! Now we can live our lives out the way we have planned in the Other World. We will never forget your kindness."_  She smiled and faded away. The others called out their thanks as well. Then the Guide appeared.

They immediately knew it was him even though he did not wear a head covering.

_"You trusted me and succeeded in your quest. Go and be free!'_

Then the sounds of children laughing faded and they heard no more.

***

The Spirit of the Universe, in her true form, smiled. It's brillince and purity radiating love throughout everything. She guided her helpers through time and space to the planet Earth.

***

"Where am I?" Bra asked faintly as she sat up. They were in a pretty green field dotted with wildflowers. She saw that everyone was close by.

"Kaasan! Tousan! Wake up!" she ran over to them each individually and roused them. "Pan! Gohan-san! Goku-san! We did it! We're back home!"

They all groaned and awakened.

"And we're back to our normal clothes," Gohan said.

The little girl stood from where she was sitting on a tree stump.  _"I have kept watch over you while you were unconcious. You needed your rest."_

"Um ma'am," Gohan said respectively.

The girl laughed .  _"No need for such formalities my knight. You may call me Celeste."_

"Okay Celeste, not meaning to be rude but why haven't you gotten rid off all of the evil."

_"This is not a simple matter. I cannot. It would disrupt the Balance."_

"The Balance?" Pan asked.

_"Yes. You see, it is like a scale. You must keep things even. The opposites are necessary. With right you must have wrong, with light you must have darkness, with rich you must have poor. You cannot eliminate one without destroying the other completely as well. So like those, with Good there must come Evil."_

"I understand."

_"Unfortunately, the Evil Ones do not realize this fact."_ She walked over to them and hugged them each in turn.  _"I must leave now. Until next time."_  She waved as she faded.

Goku yawned hugely. "After all of that, I think that I'm going to sleep for a few days."

They all laughed. "I feel the same way!" Bulma agreed.

There were hugs all around and goodbyes. "See you later guys! I couldn't have saved the universe with a better buch of people!"

Goku gave hugs one last time (even Vegeta got one no matter how much he protested) and flew home. He entered his house just as ChiChi came into the living room.

"GOKU! Where have you been?!"

"Saving the universe," he answered sleepily. "Now I'm going to bed."

ChiChi was left looking on in shock as he slowly climbed the stairs. "You know," she said to herself. "if this wasn't Goku I heard this from, I wouldn't believe it."

**~Owari~**


End file.
